Clean EDGE Asia harnesses the expertise and resources of the U.S. Government, private sector, international financial institutions, and like-minded governments to support and accelerate Asia’s clean energy transition.
CleanEDGEAsia builds on the work of Asia EDGE to align government and private sector resources to advance sustainable energy growth in the region.
EDGE includes diplomatic engagement, leveraging high-level visits and forums, and working with our contacts on the ground to promote clean energy.
EDGE is the U.S. government’s overarching initiative for energy in the region and is a cohesive effort that brings together myriad programs for technical assistance and development projects.
Why EDGE?
In the Indo-Pacific, demand for energy is growing rapidly amid the challenges of relying on aging infrastructure and outdated market mechanisms to deliver power, transportation, and building energy requirements.
U.S. engagement to address these challenges in Asia while reducing greenhouse gas emissions will bolster partners’ energy security and advance sustainable development goals, including clean and affordable energy to address the climate crisis impacting all nations.
Our efforts on the ground will include all stakeholders, including women and disenfranchised communities who bear a disproportionate burden of the negative effects of climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity.
EDGE Strategic Goals
Energy Security to Support Growing Economies: Clean, affordable, and reliable energy supply is critical to the economic growth and political stability of U.S. partners and allies. To meet growing energy demand in the Indo-Pacific while aiming for carbon neutrality.
Promote development, deployment, and integration of diverse clean energy sources.
Support utility modernization, regulatory capacity-building, expansion of transmission and distribution infrastructure, energy storage, demand response, energy efficiency solutions, and advanced technologies to bolster the energy security of developing economies in a sustainable manner.
Encourage and support market and regulatory reforms to increase competition, expand market access, incentivize clean energy technologies, and diversify supply and investment sources to help countries safeguard their long-term strategic and development interests.
Enhance opportunities for cross-border electricity trade and regional power market development as an enabler of clean energy deployment and stronger grid resiliency.
Encourage development of resilient energy supply chains.
Engage in joint research with like-minded partners to bring clean energy technologies to scale for increased diversification and CO2 abatement.
Energy for Sustainable Development: Clean EDGE Asia will support partner governments in realizing sustainable development gains which improve energy access and secure reliable electricity generation. Expanded access to reliable power increases economic prosperity and supports political stability.
Promote system and utility planning to ensure the development of cost-effective, affordable energy systems.
Mobilize private project financing, including through climate philanthropy as well as official development finance and export credit tools that prioritize clean energy deployments and adhere to international environment, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.
Secure international investment and national commitments to establish alternative clean energy technology supply chains which increase global manufacturing capacity while adhering to international ESG standards.
Support modeling and analysis exercises that illustrate pathways to decarbonized energy systems and other sustainable development objectives.
Engage diplomatically to promote energy policies, laws, and regulatory frameworks that support an accelerated transition to clean energy and decarbonization of energy systems.
Develop transparent system planning in coordination with competitive energy infrastructure procurement practices.
Promote open electricity markets to encourage private-sector solutions and catalyze the development of bankable and financially sustainable projects.
Bolster the upward trend of U.S. investment and export of clean energy technologies and services.
Decarbonization to Reach a Carbon Neutral Future: Accelerating the clean energy transition is a critical element in limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Broad decarbonization efforts in the Indo-Pacific based on cost-effective alternatives to carbon-intensive fossil fuels are critical to that goal.
Encourage countries to rapidly retire uneconomic coal-fired power assets to accelerate low carbon technologies deployment and integration.
Support an enabling environment for deployment of energy-saving technologies, incentives for demand-side management, and increased efficiency across sectors (e.g., industry, construction, transport, commercial, and residential).
Advance electrification in transportation, buildings, and industry.
Cooperate on R&D in hydrogen as well as carbon capture technologies and cross-sectoral applications and country planning for technology adoption once costs are competitive.
Support emission abatement in the transportation and power sectors and in legacy fossil fuel production (upstream) and liquified natural gas (midstream).
Support partner efforts to capture methane emissions from oil and gas production and landfills, wastewater treatment, agriculture, and abandoned coal mines.
